1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a seat cushion covering structure. More specifically, the invention relates to a seat cushion covering structure in which conductive fibers, electrically connected to a conductive member at one end, are woven into a fabric seat cushion cover.
2. Description of the Related Art
Whether an occupant is seated in a vehicle seat may be determined based on, for example, the capacitance of conductive fibers (e.g. conductive wires) woven into the cover of a seat cushion. With this technology, when the vehicle is involved in a collision, a control to prevent deployment of an airbag for an unoccupied vehicle seat may be executed.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-50282 (JP-A-2003-50282) describes the technology that relates to the present invention.
In the above-described technology, one end of each conductive fiber is electrically connected to a conductive member (e.g. copper tape) and the conductive member connected to conductive fibers is electrically connected to a capacitance detector via a cable so that the conductive fibers are electrically connected to the capacitance detector. Because the conductive member is placed right under the seat cushion cover, the conductive member may cause discomfort to an occupant seated on the seat cushion.